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EXPLOREAPRIL 2013No : 636 RM 7.50

Magazine’s latest issue !

“Enjoy the journey”

“East Coast”Edition

EXPLORE MAGAZINE

Editor

Normazira Mohd Zin( [email protected] )

Assistant Editor

Nur Athirah Rasdi( [email protected] )

CONTENTS

East Coast Delights “Nasi Kerabu”

Publisher

Evergreen Publisher Sdn Bhd (178111-W)317 Jalan Mahkota, Taman Maluri, 55100 Kuala LumpurTel : (03) 9285 7375 / 9283 2971 Faks : (03) 9283 2963E-mel : [email protected] / [email protected]

Page 4 Pahang :Nature’s Priceless Gift

Page 8

Page 11Cooking Tips to Save You

Page 12

Tips to Healthy DietPage 10

The Incrediable Kelantan

Page 17

Page 18Cupcake

Spa, Health and BeautyPage 20

Page 22Malaysia Cuisine

Terengganu

Island paradises, cool, serene moun-tain getaways, miles and miles of sunny, sandy beaches and mysterious lakes are just some of the natural attractions of the state of Pahang. Almost half the state is covered by stretches of rainforest with exotic flora and fauna while to the east it has a long coastline palm fringed beaches where you can kick back and relax. The rich cultural heritage remains well preserved in the relatively slow pace of life in this vast state. Pahang is predominantly a treasure trove of nature just waiting to be experienced.

Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Ma-laysia, covers an area of approximately 35,960 sq km. Located along the east coast it extends and occupies much of central Peninsular Malaysia. The vast state, which faces the South China Sea to the east, enjoys a coastline 208 kilometers long.

The state shares its borders with more than half the states in Peninsular Malaysia. Terengganu and Kelantan border the State on the north, Perak in the west, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan to the southwest and Johor the south. Tropical rainforests dominate the state, also the site of Malaysia’s largest national for-est park — Taman Negara. The central moun-tainous regions are home to three of the na-tion’s main hill resorts and also the highest mountain in the Peninsula, Gunung Tahan.

The state comprises 11 districts namely, Paya Besar, Pekan, Jerantut, Lipis, Raub, Ma-ran, Mentakab, Bentong, Temerloh and Rompin. Kuantan the administrative capital is a well-planned location situated on the banks of the Kuantan river mouth.It is well known for its beau-tiful beaches and other interesting attractions.

4 EXPLORE APRIL 2013

Nature’s Priceless Gift

Pahang

Taman Negara National Park is the perfect place for travelers who love wild life viewing, jungle trekking, hiking, rock climbing, fishing, camping and many more.

It is well established as one of the most popular ecotourism in Malaysia. Every year Taman Negara attracts thousands of local and international travelers. It has a tropical, humid climate with temperatures averaging 86°F (30°C). It is opened throughout the year.

Taman Negara covers 4,343 km2 of three states of Malaysia – Pahang at 2,477 km², Kelantan at 1,043 km² and Terangganu at 853 km². Geographically, it is located in the mid-dle of Peninsular Malaysia. It is about 250km from Kuala Lumpur and 580km from Singapore.

“Let’s explore the truly tropical life in Taman Negara!

The 130 million years old virgin rain forest is waiting to share her pride heritage. Dis-cover, enjoy and release your stress within the most amaz-

ing beauty nature”

Taman Negara

APRIL 2013 EXPLORE 5

The Cameron Highlands is one of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations. The size of Singa-pore, it occupies an area of 712 square kilometres (275 sq mi) in the Titiwangsa Mountains.To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with Perak. Situated at the northwestern tip of Pa-hang, the “Camerons” is approximately 90 ki-lometres (56 mi) from Ipoh or about 200 kilo-metres (120 mi) from Kuala Lumpur. It is the smallest constituency in Pahang.Discovered in 1885, it consists of three districts, name-ly Ringlet (5,165 hectares (12,760 acres)), Tanah Rata (2,081 hectares (5,140 acres)) and Ulu Telom (63,981 hectares (158,100 acres)). Developed in the 1930s, the table-land is one of the oldest tourist spots in Ma-laysia. Apart from its tea estates, the plateau is also noted for its cool weather, orchards, nurseries, farmlands, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, mossy forest, golf course, ho-tels, places of worship, bungalows, Land Rov-ers, museum and its aborigines (Orang Asli).

The only way to the Highlands is by road. It could be reached from Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kua-la Lipis, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Raub, or Sin-gapore. The accesses are via Tapah, Simpang Pulai, Gua Musang or Sungai Koyan. Tapah and Simpang Pulai are the approaches from Perak. Gua Musang and Sungai Koyan are the entry-ways from Kelantan and Pahang, respectively.

Cameron Highland



Fraser’s Hill The location is one of Malaysia's few pris-tine forests, with a high level of biodiversity, first recognised by the botanist H. N. Ridley in 1897.Fraser's Hill de-rives its name from Louis James Fraser, a solitary Scottish pioneer, who set up a tin-ore trading post in the 1890s. The British army had not explored the Titiwan-gsa Range, so Fraser re-cruited guides and coo-lies for an expedition to the upper ridges, prospecting for gold or other valuable metals.

At the top he found an ancient for-est of moss-draped trees and ferns with a prehistoric appear-ance, kept constantly moist in the cloud layer.He also found rich tin deposits, and recruited Chi-nese workers to open a mine. A steep track was constructed for mules to transport the tin ore down to The Gap and on to Raub, the nearest town.

Fraser operated a gambling and opium den at the workers' camp, through which he profited a second time from the wages paid to his coolies.Fraser vanished without trace some 25 years later. In 1917 C. J. Ferguson-Davie, Bishop of Singapore, led a trek up from the Gap to look for his site, and did not find him, but report-ed that the place was perfect for a hill sta-tion–a retreat from the heat of the lowlands. In 1919, work started on the access road to the hill station from The Gap and by 1922, the hill station named Fraser's Hill was opened to visitors. The hill station covered 140 hect-ares of land and had over 50 km of jungle paths.

The 1927 Handbook to British Malaya recorded that there were 9 bungalows for the use of government offi-cials, 4 houses built with the help of the Red Cross for ex-ser-vicemen and women, 3 private homes, a country club, a golf course, water sup-ply and a post office.

In 1951, during the Malayan Emergency, the popular British official Sir Henry Gur-ney was killed near Fraser's Hill in a ran-dom assassination by Communist guerillas.

The 1970s saw an-other burst of devel-opment with build-ings and golf courses.

Faced with growing evidence of the effects of environmental damage at the Malaysia's larg-est hill resort, Cameron Highlands, the Pah-ang state government in 2010 ruled out further development of virgin forest at Fraser's Hill

“Nasi Kerabu”East Coast Delights


Nasi kerabu is a traditional Malaysian dish that is famous for its blue rice. In addi-tion to the rice, this filling dish also contains fish, which is the base of the kerabu, or veg-etable mixture. The other elements of typical nasi kerabu are the co-conut-based sweet and salty sauce and the garnish, which includes vegetables and a vari-ety of ingredients com-monly used in South-east Asian cooking.

The rice in a nasi kerabu is blue because it has been pre-cooked in the blue extract from the dried flowers of the Clitoria ternatea plant. These flowers, which are a strikingly vivid shade of blue, are also used to dye rice in other Malaysian dishes such as pulut tai tai and nonya chang. In a typ-ical nasi kerabu recipe, a ratio of 1 cup (237 ml) of cooked rice to one medium fish is used.

Traditionally, the fish used for the kerabu is mackerel. In a typical recipe, the fish is grilled and flaked before being fried to-gether with grated coconut and blended gin-ger and shallots. The resulting mixture then has sugar and salt added to it. Sometimes dried fish is used in place of fresh produce.

In many nasi kerabu recipes, the base for the sauce is coconut milk. Other ingredients normally include shallots, dried chili and lem-ongrass. The milk is combined with these fla-vors and set on a stove to simmer, with salt and sugar being added to the sauce as it does so.

The garnish usually consists of a salad vegetable such as cucumber, along with runner

beans. Traditional Southeast Asian flavors used include lime, fish sauce and herbs such as Thai basil leaves and Vietnam coriander. Herbs and spices such as cilantro, mint, ginger and turmer-ic are sometimes used as alternatives, depend-

ing on how Western-ized the recipe is. As with the sauce, chilies and lemon-grass also usually make an appear-ance in the garnish.Usually, nasi kerabu is served with the kerabu on top of the rice, along with some torn pieces of Vietnam corian-

der. It is traditional to serve nasi kerabu as a side dish to a main meal. Many food stalls in Malaysia sell the dish to passers-by. There are many other Malaysian dishes with nasi as their base. Two of the most well-known examples are nasi goreng and nasi ulam. Nasi ulam is, like nasi kerabu, a herbed rice dish, and nasi goreng typically consists of fried rice, spic-es and protein such as chicken, prawns and egg.


‘Solok Lada’

Tips To Healthy Diet

Drink More Water

Remember, colorsequals nutrition

If water were a food, it would be a superfood. It helps digestion, promotes clear skin, acts as an appetite sup-pressant, and even prevents heart disease, among many other benefits. Some research has even shown that drinking water can speed up metabo-lism and help you lose weight.

Although the whole drink-eight-glasses-a-day ad-vice is now thought to be a myth, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s better than drinking energy drinks or flavored waters that may contain lots of sweeteners.

Stick to filtered tap, and cut it with naturally sweetened fruit juice if you get bored, or try low-calorie, unsweetened elix-irs like this Green Herb Infusion.

It’s a good rule of thumb that the more color-ful the food, the more healthy it is. For instance, squash, carrots, spinach, and kiwi are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

White and beige foods like cheese, french fries, white rice, white flour, and white sugar should be eaten in mod-eration, because they’re ei-ther high in saturated or trans fats, or overly processed and lacking in nutritional value.

Similarly, when you eat vegetables, leave the skins on if they’re more colorful than the interior (for example, zucchini and cucumber), because that’s where a lot of the vitamins are.

Think smaller portions

. Serving sizes have bal-looned recently, particularly in restaurants. When din-ing out, choose a starter in-stead of an entree, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

At home, use small-er plates, think about serv-ing sizes in realistic terms, and start small. If you don’t feel satisfied at the end of a meal, try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with fresh fruit.

Visual cues can help with portion sizes–your serv-ing of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards, a slice of bread .



Cooking TipsTo

Save youHow to get delicious budget-

friendly meals on the table.

Once you’ve made your plan and gone shopping, it’s time to roll up your sleeves in the kitchen. Get familiar with the best cook-ing techniques for inexpensive ingredients.

Be prepared with clever ways to use left-overs or foods that are a bit past their prime. And, of course, know how to properly store leftovers and extra ingredients to avoid waste. Here are some tips to help you in the kitchen.

According to nutrition experts, a healthy serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces. That’s about 4 ounces raw. If you’re eating meat for dinner aim for it to take up no more than one-quarter of your plate.

Fill half the plate with vegetables and the final quar-ter with a whole grain. Eat-ing less meat is better for your health and your budget.

Tip 1:Cook and serve the right portions.

Tip 2: Bring out the roast.

Roasting a big piece of meat is an easy way to feed a crowd. Of course, a crown rib roast or beef ten-derloin (unless your market is running an amazing special) isn’t an economical choice.

So choose cuts, such as leg of lamb, turkey breast or pork shoulder, and roast them. Your guests will never guess that Middle Eastern Roast Lamb with Tahini Sauce costs less than RM3 per serving.

Tip 4: Add pasta or rice.

Got a few vegetables or a little leftover meat? Maybe you have some fixings for a salad or a light soup, but it’s not quite dinner. Pasta and rice are cheap, healthy pantry items that let you turn a few leftovers into a meal.

Try quickly sautéing peppers and onions and toss them with noodles, herbs and a little cheese, or add rice into a vegetable soup to make it more satisfying.

Wayang Kulit

Wayang kulit, or shadow puppets,

are without a doubt the best known of the

Indonesian wayang.

There is a family of characters in Ja-

vanese wayang called Punakawan; they are

sometimes referred to as “clown-servants”

because they normally are associated with

the story’s hero, and provide humorous and

philosophical interludes. Semar is the father

of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and Bagong

(youngest son).

These characters did not originate in the

Hindu epics, but were added later, possibly to

introduce mystical aspects of Islam into the

Hindu-Javanese stories.They provide some-

thing akin to a political cabaret, dealing with

gossip and contemporary affairs.Historically,

the performance consisted of shadows cast

on a cotton screen and an oil lamp.

Today, the source of light used in wayang

performance in Java is most often a halogen

electric light.Some modern forms of wayang

such as Wayang Sandosa created in the Art

Academy at Surakarta (STSI) has employed

spotlights, colored lights and other innova-

tions.

Wayang kulit famous in Kelantan with

their own art that have on that country and

many people enjoy the show when they are

perform.

The Incredible Kelantan


Wayang kullit photo is a famous show in KELANTAN“ “


Wau Bulan

Wau bulan is an intricately designed

Malaysian moon-kite (normally with floral mo-

tifs) that is traditionally flown by men in the

Malaysian state of Kelantan. It is one of Ma-

laysia’s national symbols, some others being

the kris and hibiscus. The reverse side of the

fifty-cent coin of Malaysia (1989 series) fea-

tures an intricately decorated wau bulan with

a hummer on top.

There are many types of wau in Malaysia,

each with its own specialty. .Wau bulan got its

name from the crescent moon-like shape of its

lower section (bulan means “moon” in Bahasa

Malaysia). Given the right colour, wau bulan

apparently resembles a rising crescent moon

when flown.The size of wau bulan is bigger

than any other Malaysian traditional kite.

This makes the decorations painted on the

kite’s body to be visible when it is flown high in

the air. To make it more distinctive, wau bulan is

normally decorated with large, strong-coloured

patterns.


Mak Yong

Mak yong or mak yung is a traditional

form of dance-drama from northern Ma-

laysia, particularly the state of Kelantan.

It was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islam-

ic. In 2005 UNESCO declared mak yong a

“Masterpiece Of The Oral And Intangible

Heritage Of Humanity”.

Mak yong is considered the most

authentic and representative of Malay per-

forming arts because it is mostly untouched

by external sources. Although most tra-

ditional Malay dances were influenced by

India, Java and other parts of Southeast

Asia, mak yong’s singing and musical rep-

ertoire are unique. Of the major stories

performed in mak yong, most are derived

from Kelantan-Pattani mythology.

Some of those obtained from outside

the Malayan-Thai region have now died out

elsewhere such as Anak Raja Gondang, a

story originally from the Jataka tales but

now almost unknown in India.

This is followed by dancing, acting

and improvised dialogues. Stories were

presented in a series of three hour perfor-

mances over several nights. The lead danc-

er is called the pak yong and dresses as a

king. The cast usually includes a queen in

second lead, palace girls and jesters. Tra-

ditionally, all performers were female ex-

cept for the clowns who are always male.

Story of Mak Yong


“Holiday is the best moment to rememder when we enjoy with our freind family and sweatheart “


Traditional pursuits such as kite-flying con

tests, top-spinning contests, and traditional

arts & crafts, such as batik and songket are still

very much alive.

The major tourist attractions in the state

include: Kuala Terengganu, the capital; Islamic

Heritage Park, Tasik Kenyir, a large artificial lake;

Sekayu Waterfalls; Kuala Ibai Lagoons; Batu Bu-

rok Beach, Kemasik Beach, Rantau Abang, Ma-

rang, Chukai town and several offshore islands

such as Pulau Redang, Pulau Lang Tengah, and

Pulau Kapas, and the Pulau Perhentian, which

attract beachgoers and snorkelers because of

their picture perfect beaches.

Many travelers find the relatively rural and

tranquil atmosphere in the state conducive to a

Terengganu

relaxing holiday. Terengganu has recently been

known internationally as the host of Monsoon

Cup, which was first held in 2005 and then be-

came an annual national sporting event. The

event brought millions of ringgit of investment

into the state from the private sectors and Ma-

laysian Government.


Cupcake


Ingredients125g butter

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 orange, rind finely grated

2 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup milk

453g tub vanilla frosting (we used Betty

Crocker brand)

icing flowers (we used Green’s brand) and

coloured sprinkles, to decorate

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line one 12-hole,

1/3-cup capacity patty pan with paper

cases.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar

and vanilla in a small bowl until pale and

creamy.

Step 3

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after

each addition. Add orange rind and beat

until combined.

Step 4

Transfer mixture to a bowl. Fold in flour

alternately with milk until mixture is just

smooth. Spoon mixture into patty cases until

three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 22 min-

utes or until golden and a skewer inserted

into the centre of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Turn onto a wire rack to

cool.

Step 5

Spread cupcakes with frosting. Place 1 icing

flower in the centre of each cupcake.

Notes

Cupcakes can be made a day in advance. Store in an air-

tight container in a cool, dry place.


Spa,Health and Beauty


A beauty salon or beauty parlor (beau-

ty parlour)is an establishment deal-

ing with cosmetic treatments for men

and women.Other variations of this type

of business include hair salons and spas.

There is a distinction between a beauty

salon and a hair salon and although many small

businesses do offer both sets of treatments;

beauty salons provide more generalized ser-

vices related to skin health, facial aesthetic,

foot care, aromatherapy, — even meditation,

oxygen therapy, mud baths, and innumerable

other services. for the body is a popular beau-

ty treatment, with various techniques offering

benefits to the skin (including the application

of beauty products) and for increasing mental

well-being. Hair removal is offered at some

beauty salons through treatments such as wax-

ing and threading.

The characterization of a person as “beau-

tiful”, whether on an individual basis or by

community consensus, is often based on some

combination of inner beauty, which includes

psychological factors such as personality, intel-

ligence, grace, politeness, charisma, integrity,

congruence and elegance, and outer beauty (i.e.

physical attractiveness) which includes physical

attributes which are valued on aesthetic basis.

Beauty Salon


Malaysia Cuisine


Nasi Lemak Nasi lemak is a fragrant

rice dish cooked in coconut

milk and “pandan” leaf com-

monly found in Malaysia,

where it is considered the na-

tional dish. Traditionally, nasi

lemak is served with a plat-

ter of side dishes wrapped

in banana leaves, including

cucumber slices, small fried

Satay Known as sate in Malay it

can be found throughout all

the states of Malaysia in res-

taurants and on the street,

with hawkers selling satay in

food courts and Pasar malam.

While the popular kinds of satay

are usually beef and chick-

en satays, different regions

of Malaysia have developed

their own unique variations.

Sate Kajang is a generic name

for a style of sate where the

meat chunks are bigger than

normal, and the sweet peanut

sauce served along with a por-

Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa

Pulau Pinang), also known as

asam laksa from the Malay for

tamarind, comes from the Ma-

laysian island of Penang.

It is made with mackerel (ikan

kembung) soup and its main dis-

tinguishing feature is the asam

or tamarind which gives the

soup a sour taste.

anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted

peanuts, hard boiled egg, and

hot spicy sauce (sambal). As

a more substantial meal, nasi

lemak can also come with a

variety of other accompani-

ments such as ayam goreng

(fried chicken), sambal so-

tong (cuttlefish in chilli),

cockles, stir fried water con-

volvulus (kangkong), pickled

vegetables (acar), beef ren-

dang (beef stewed in coconut

milk and spices) or paru (beef

lungs).

tion of fried chilli paste. Given

its popularity, sate Kajang is

now found throughout Malaysia.

Stalls and restaurants around

Kajang offer not only the more

traditional chicken or beef

satay, but also more exotic

meats such as venison, rabbit or

fish, as well as gizzard, liver, and

a number of other variations.

The fish is poached and then

flaked. Other ingredients that

give Penang laksa its distinctive

flavour include lemongrass, ga-

langal (lengkuas) and chilli.

Typical garnishes include mint,

pineapple slices, thinly sliced

onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet

prawn paste and use of torch

ginger flower. This, and not ‘cur-

ry mee’ is the usual ‘laksa’ one

gets in Penang.Laksa also have a

variation taste and type such as

laksa lemak make from kelantan

and,laksa Johor.

Laksa

Variation Malaysian Cuisine


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